US EditionFBI exposes Kremlin hit squad targeting Putin's opponents, investigation shows
Center 795, a secret Russian unit with about 500 officers, was exposed when an operative used Google Translate, allowing the FBI to intercept assassination plans.
- On February 24, 2026, authorities arrested Denis Alimov at Bogota Airport in Colombia, exposing the Russian military intelligence unit Center 795 after the FBI monitored Google Translate logs between Alimov and a recruited hitman.
- Established by a 2022 Russian General Staff order, Center 795 functions as a "shadow army" with full autonomy, with architects embedding the unit within the Kalashnikov Concern to bypass bureaucracy and evade Western surveillance.
- According to The Insider, Alimov recruited Darko Durovic, a United States resident, to assassinate Chechen dissidents, offering a $1.5 million bounty for each target successfully "deported to Russia," dead or alive.
- Alimov remains in Colombian custody pending extradition to the United States, facing charges of conspiracy to kidnap, murder, and finance terrorism that could result in life imprisonment.
- The exposure follows reckless sabotage operations, including explosive parcels in DHL hubs across the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland, as intelligence officials warn Russia increasingly relies on criminal proxies for hybrid attacks.
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13 Articles
The 795 centre, which appeared after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and is formed by elite units within the GRU and the FSB, was set up to conduct critical operations – from military missions in Ukraine to kidnappings and political killings in foreign countries. One of the officers of this ultra-secret entity was recently arrested in Colombia, accused of planning more attacks on Vladimir Putin's regime. He was arrested for having made an err…
Russia created an elite hit squad to target its opponents abroad. One of its agents was compromised by using Google Translate.
In late 2022, Russia established a top-secret unit of elite intelligence agents with a sweeping mandate to carry out assassinations, abductions, and sabotage abroad. But according to a new investigation by The Insider, one officer has exposed the entire group by using Google Translate.
Top Russian Spy Arrested After Planning a Murder Using Google Translate
A newly formed, highly classified Russian military unit designed to execute political assassinations has been exposed following the dramatic arrest of a top operative in Colombia, according to a joint investigation by The Insider and Der Spiegel on March 13. Established by a direct order from the Russian General Staff, the unit known as Center 795 was built to function as a fully autonomous shadow army. However, its absolute secrecy was shattere…
The Kremlin has created a top-secret death squad within the GRU to kidnap and kill opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime, the existence of the unit came to light after one of its agents was arrested in Colombia in February. The Russian independent newspaper Insider writes about the secret military unit in a lengthy article, and the German Spiegel also covers the subject in detail. Based on their articles, the unit's operations, …
Agents are involved in political assassinations abroad.
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